Comment on this story Send this story to a friend A riddle: Why has the Toyota Prius enjoyed such success, with sales of more than 400,000 in the United States, when most other hybrid models struggle to find buyers? One answer may be that Prius buyers want everyone to know they are driving a hybrid. The Prius, after all, was built from the ground up as a hybrid, and is sold only as a hybrid.
By contrast, the main way to tell that a Honda Civic, Ford Escape or Saturn Vue is a hybrid version is a small badge on the trunk or side panel. The Prius has become, in a sense, the four-wheel equivalent of those popular rubber "issue bracelets" in yellow and other colors -- it shows the world that its owner cares. More than half of the Prius buyers surveyed this spring by CNW Marketing Research of Bandon, Ore.
, said the main reason they purchased their car was that "it makes a statement about me." Only a third of Prius owners cited that reason just three years ago, according to CNW, which tracks consumers buying trends. "I really want people to know that I care about the environment," said Joy Feasley of Philadelphia, owner of a green 2006 Prius.
Mary Gatch of Charleston, S.C., chose the car over a hybrid version of the Toyota Camry after trading in a Lexus sedan.
"I felt like the Camry Hybrid was too subtle for the message I wanted to put out there," said Gatch. "I wanted to have the biggest impact that I could, and the Prius puts out a clearer message." Unlike the original Prius buyers, who wanted to be first with its innovative technology, the latest owners are far more conscious of foreign oil dependence and global warming, said Doug Coleman, Toyota's product manager for Prius.
"Consumer knowledge and consumer awareness is changing," Coleman said. Prius sales for the first six months of the year are up 93.7 percent from last year to 94,503, and Toyota has already sold close to as many Prius cars as it did in all of 2006.
To be sure, many owners are still choosing the Prius for the fuel economy that a hybrid offers -- rated at 60 miles a gallon in city driving and 51 on the highway (although those numbers are expected to be considerably lower for 2008 models after more realistic government-imposed standards take effect). But many are looking for something extra. "The Prius allowed you to make a green statement with a car for the first time ever," said Dan Becker, head of the global warming program at the Sierra Club and, yes, a Prius owner.
Not everyone is a fan of the statement. Some postings on Internet car discussion groups occasionally make dismissive references to "Pious Prius owners." Prius was first embraced by Hollywood stars and other celebrities and remains in vogue long after most cars have lost their buzz.
Owners have included Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Billy Joel, Bill Maher and Larry David. David has bought three, including one for his character to drive on his HBO series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Now Prius drivers are typically found in cities on the east and west coasts, and in the nation's college towns, like Ann Arbor and State College, Pa.
Nationwide, Prius sales jumped sharply in May, when gasoline prices rose above $3 a gallon. Worldwide, Toyota has sold more than 1 million Prius cars. Prius back on track Toyota was alarmed to see Prius sales flatten last year, just when it planned to double shipments to the United States.
It sold 105,000 in 2006, but is on track to sell 175,000 this year. Before gas prices hit record levels, Prius sales were climbing, partly because of its first national advertising campaign, as well as rebates, which began in February. Toyota's competitors have had little success in approaching Prius' sales, but not for lack of trying.
Honda actually beat Toyota to the hybrid market with its Insight, but it has since discontinued that car. And it is dropping a hybrid version of the Accord, whose gas mileage was not much better than the gas-powered Accord and cost more. Honda, which sells a hybrid Civic, said it plans to come back with a new hybrid designed from the ground up as a hybrid, not a converted car.
General Motors Corp., which eventually plans to sell 12 hybrid models, has been promoting the Chevrolet Volt, a concept hybrid that it says it will build once it has developed batteries for it. GM has 'mild hybrid' In the meantime, GM is selling the Saturn Vue, a small SUV available in "mild hybrid" form, meaning it has an electric motor that can assist its primary gas engine, but the car cannot run on electricity alone.
GM also plans to introduce a hybrid version of the Saturn Aura car and says it will eventually have 12 hybrid vehicles, although Volt appears to be the only one that would be built specifically as a hybrid. "We think we're covering the market well," said GM spokesman Brian Corbett. So does the Ford Motor Co.
, even though it has pulled back from a commitment to sell 250,000 hybrids a year in the United States by 2010. Mulally, said the company had more hybrids under development beyond the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner, both small SUVs. It has not set a new target for hybrid sales.
Escape sales are up 10 percent this year, when Ford expects to sell 22,000. Toyota executives have said they plan to offer a hybrid version of everything the company sells, perhaps as soon as 2010.
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